Paddy Hopkirk...what a guy

[v8250]

Last night attended the MG/BMC Competitions Department Lecture hosted by Graham Robson with Don Hayter[MGB + Aston Martin DB4 Designer], Peter Browning[BMC Head of Competition Dept], Bill Price[BMC Comp Dept 'Guru'], Den Green[BMC Comp Dept Snr Mechanic], John Yea[MD British Motor Heritage], Alec Poole & Paddy Hopkirk[...these guys need no introduction].

The evening was wonderfully low-key with the guys re-telling their roles, history, fascinating and often hilarious exploits during their time at MG/BMC Abingdon. Now, Paddy's well known for his tales and often side-splitting repartee; last night proved to be no exception...

Quote "Well, one year when having my medical the doc' needed to check my prostate. I'm lying there on my side, the doc' reaches for the rubber gloves and as he's about to 'insert' I notice he's put two fingers into one glove finger. I ask him why the two fingers?" The doc' replies, "Well, that's just in case you need a second opinion..."

They don't make them like this anymore!

[Riley Blue]

Great story, wish I'd been there!

ETA - not at the doctors, I had that 'pleasure' a few weeks ago but just a single digit...

Edited by Riley Blue on Saturday 6th October 12:41

[Rower]

Funnily enough I thought of him the other day , I was nosing round a very nice Austin Cooper on an 'E' plate and it had a ' Paddy Hopkirk Heel and Toe accelerator peddle' !


Rower

[na]

I once very briefly meet him on a charity rally day and he instantly seemed a really nice guy, his charm and humour came across in seconds

[RedexR]

I met Paddy at a trade show once with his son - who runs the petrol can business , great guy and one of those "never expected that" at a dull trade show moments.

[RonnieH]

I was lucky enough to do a few laps of castle combe sat next to him in a works cooper replica, it didn't matter what we were in, paddy was great!!

[threespires]

Paddy Hopkirk

[LordBretSinclair]

na said:

I once very briefly meet him on a charity rally day and he instantly seemed a really nice guy, his charm and humour came across in seconds

+1. I met him at a Castle Coombe Stoke Association charity day some years ago. We had a long chat about all sorts of things and his was very complimentary about my "works" MGB.

A real gent - one of the "old school".

[v8250]

...another note from the other evening. Graham Robson asked Don Hayter how were the design drawings completed for the MGB, before the days of CAD, before the days of any computer automation? Don replied "They were hand drawn on 18x5 paper." As if misunderstanding Graham asked "What size paper?", "Hand drawn on 18ft x 5ft paper using curves."

We were aghast...I was picturing Don with one 18ft x 5ft sheet of paper, a clutch of HB and H2 pencils, and a set of french curves hand drawing the MGB layout. The 18ft x 5ft brought sharp intake of breath and huge appreciation from the 200 strong audience...

...right, back to changing the sump and side valve cover gaskets...

[GC8]

The Sweater Shop? That wa sa while ago (I hope!).

[LordBretSinclair]

GC8 said:

The Sweater Shop? That wa sa while ago (I hope!).

I did say some years ago - looking at my photo albums I think it was 1996.

It must have been some time ago as I still had some hair

[MadDad]

I met him at Goodwood a few years ago and rather embarrassingly didn't know who I was talking to at the time. Really nice chap, but then again all of the drivers at Goodwood tend to be very nice chaps!